DeMeco Ryans needs to admit what’s in front of him — Texans aren’t as good as he thinks they are

Thought provoking story from the Chronicle.
I don’t personally agree with everything, but it asks important questions.

Now that the Texans have won the past two AFC South titles and two playoff games, the expectations have grown and so has the pressure to win.

But the Texans are stuck in mediocrity right now, and the only way for them to get out of it is for Ryans to admit something he apparently hasn’t quite come to terms with.

This team is not as good as he thinks it is. The defense is great, but the offense is not. And the Texans are only as good as their weakest unit.

On Tuesday, Ryans was asked if he had discussed with general manager Nick Caserio the possibility of making a trade and whether he wanted to be a buyer at the NFL’s Nov. 4 trade deadline.
He responded by saying that it hasn’t been his focus.
“I’m focused on coaching our guys up to do exactly what we asked them to do,” Ryans said. “When we work to do that the right way, then we’ll see about the trade deadline and all those things. But that’s not been a concern of mine.

It should be. Both should be concerns.

This roster lacks the talent necessary to compete with the NFL’s best teams, which has been clear throughout the Texans’ first six games.

The Texans are the first team in NFL history to have a No. 1 scoring defense and a losing record through seven weeks. And to throw fuel on the fire, Ryans, in consultation with Caserio, hired an offensive coordinator (Nick Caley) who has performed significantly worse than the one Ryans fired for poor performance (Bobby Slowik) earlier this year.

So the thought that the Texans had turned things around after the two wins over the Titans and Ravens was nothing more than fan fiction. It lacked substance, and Houston should have known that given how decimated Baltimore was, and how bad Tennessee had been.

For the first time — and rightfully so — Ryans is being questioned for the decisions he’s made. It’s uncharted territory for the third-year head coach. He hasn’t had a losing record this far into the season since Week 8 of 2023, when people weren’t expecting much from Houston. The Texans, in Year 3 under Ryans, are supposed to be better.

But how the Texans have started is not entirely Ryans’ fault, and is exactly why he should admit exactly what’s right in front of him.

One of the reasons the Texans have struggled is that they don’t have the talent to keep up with the top teams. Caserio has been hoarding draft picks, looking too far into the future.

The Texans drafted nine players in each draft from 2022-25. But of the 27 players Caserio drafted from 2022-24, eight are no longer in Houston. That’s nearly a third of the players.

And this is not to fault the players, because it’s not on them, but of the 19 players still on the team, only five of them — Derek Stingley Jr., Jalen Pitre, Will Anderson Jr., Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock — are really balling right now, minus the few who were drafted as role players.

Significant changes need to happen soon. Ryans needs to admit to himself that this roster isn’t currently where it needs to be.

And if they want to continue to make a push toward the playoffs, which they should, they need to make a trade or two at the deadline. The Texans have the capital. They’ve hoarded eight picks in 2026 already.

The entire thing is worth reading: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texans/article/demeco-ryans-talent-nfl-trade-deadline-21114157.php